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Local Advocacy Update
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• Discuss and develop best practices for education and marketing on landlord/tenant issues in Glendale; and
• Discuss and evaluate a voluntary dispute resolution program for landlords and tenants.”
Manhattan Beach to End Residential Eviction Moratorium
At the January 18th City Council meeting, the Council adopted an ordinance to terminate their residential eviction moratorium. The City’s commercial eviction moratorium, however, will remain in place. As a result of the Council’s actions, residential renters in the City will be required to pay current monthly rent due on March 1, 2022 and would be required to pay any deferred unpaid rent owed after March 17, 2020, on or before September 1, 2022. It is important to note that while the Manhattan Beach ordinance terminating their eviction moratorium goes into effect in 30 days or on February 18, 2022, at this time, based on the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors contention, the County eviction moratorium remains applicable countywide (unincorporated areas and incorporated cites) including to Manhattan Beach through January 31, 2022, unless extended.
As background, in 2020, the City adopted a residential and commercial eviction moratorium. The expiration of the eviction moratorium was tied to the expiration of the City’s local emergency. The residential eviction moratorium prohibited evictions based on non-payment of rent if the renter demonstrated that they were unable to pay rent due to financial impacts related to COVID- 19 and provided supporting documentation, or no-fault eviction unless necessary for health and safety because of a hazardous condition affecting other renters, neighbors, or the rental housing provider. The ordinance also provided a rent repayment period for deferred rent owed of within six (6) months from the expiration of the City’s local emergency.
West Hollywood Rent Stabilization Commission Recommends Amendments to the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Regulations For City Council Consideration
At the January 13th Rent Stabilization Commission meeting, the Commission were presented with numerous proposal amendments and clarifications relative to the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Rent Stabilization Regulations. Following a brief discussion in which the Commissioners raised some questions and commented on the proposed amendments, the recommended amendments were approved. These amendments are recommendations being advanced by the Commission for the City Council’s consideration. The City Council has the
sole authority to adopt the suggested changes, reject them and/or make further modifications. At this time, no date has been set for when the City Council will consider the proposed amendments.
The recommended amendments subject to the City Council’s consideration include imposing limitations on pet deposits and allowances for renters to have small pets, expanding rent registration requirements to all rental units in the City, expanding the types of flooring subject to maintenance schedule requirements, clarifying prohibitions on side agreements for housing services and use of Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS), and requiring registration of onsite resident manager information, when applicable and related penalties. Additionally, the Commission also advanced several recommended amendments to the rent stabilization regulations related to administrative determinations on disputed registration information, integrating rent concessions into the initial base rent calculation, and the effective date of rent decreases and restoration of rent.
Prior to the meeting, the Association submitted a letter to the Commission raising objections and recommendations relative to the proposed amendments.
West Hollywood Grants City Manager Authority to Implement Los Angeles County Residential Eviction Moratorium Provisions Via Executive Order
At the January 18th City Council meeting, the Council authorized the City Manager to issue an Emergency Executive Order to maintain Los Angeles County’s residential eviction moratorium provisions should the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor’s not extend the County’s moratorium which is set to expire on January 31, 2022. Pursuant to the provisions of the State’s eviction moratorium Assembly Bill 832, we believe that the City is preempted from taking such action through March 31, 2022.
The Los Angeles County COVID-19 residential eviction moratorium includes prohibitions on evictions based on nuisance, unauthorized occupants and pets, a renter’s denial of entry to an owner, and no-fault evictions with a very limited allowance for an owner or the owner’s family member to move-in to their single-family home. Currently, the County’s eviction moratorium no longer prohibits evictions due to non-payment of rent. It is anticipated that the Board of Supervisors will be discussing the County’s moratorium and any further extension thereof at their January 25th Board meeting.
This article is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions regarding your property or specific tenancies and the requirements of any local law changes described herein, please consult with an attorney.
46 FEBRUARY 2022 • WWW.AAGLA.ORG